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Joint Fact Sheet: U.S.-Japan Cooperation on African Health and Food
Security Challenges
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 8, 2008

Joint Fact Sheet: U.S.-Japan Cooperation on African Health and Food
Security Challenges

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ G8 Summit 2008

On July 6, President Bush met with Prime Minister Fukuda at Toyako, in
Hokkaido, Japan. This was their second meeting since Prime Minister Fukuda
took office last fall.

In their meeting, the two leaders continued to build on the strong alliance
between the United States and Japan and agreed to work closely together to
tackle critical African health and food security challenges.

The United States And Japan Pledged To Cooperate On Key Health Challenges
  þ Health Workers: President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda identified
    health worker training and workforce development in certain African
    countries to be a high priority over the next five years, with the aim
    of working toward the World Health Organization's threshold goal of 2.3
    health workers per 1,000 people. As announced previously, the United
    States will be working through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
    Relief (PEPFAR) to support health worker training in a number of
    African countries. Japan will train 100,000 health workers in Africa
    over five years, as announced at the Fourth Tokyo International
    Conference on African Development (TICAD IV).
  þ Polio: President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda resolved to work
    closely together and with the G-8 and other partners to support the
    Global Polio Eradication Initiative. These efforts will include
    increased advocacy for countries to complete the job of stopping polio
    transmission in endemic countries, re-infected countries and polio-free
    countries; encouraging routine immunizations to reduce the number of
    susceptible children; and sustaining certification-level surveillance.
  þ Malaria: President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda reiterated their
    commitment to cooperating on reducing malaria-related deaths through
    such measures as expanding access to long-lasting insecticide-treated
    nets in Africa. As major donors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
    Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States and Japan both encourage
    their G-8 partners to fulfill past promises to reduce malaria-related
    deaths by 50 percent in the 30 highest-burden countries in Africa. In
    partnering with other stakeholders, the United States and Japan will
    work to encourage local manufacturing of high-quality mosquito nets and
    to promote the distribution and use of those nets, especially to
    children under five and pregnant women.
  þ Neglected Tropical Diseases: President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda
    committed to reducing the burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
    As announced in February 2008, the United States program will work over
    five years to fight the seven diseases that can be addressed through
    mass drug administration. Japan will continue to tackle NTDs through
    such measures as enhancing access to safe water and sanitation, as well
    as technical assistance to raise awareness, building on its past
    achievements in this area.

The United States And Japan Will Work Together To Enhance Food Security
  þ President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda committed the United States
    and Japan to work together in support of the Comprehensive Africa
    Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), in key countries where our
    programs can mutually reinforce each other and achieve measurable
    results. The key countries will include Ghana, Senegal, and Mali, and
    this effort will involve working in regional partnership with the
    Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Our programs will
    jump-start a significant supply response by working toward the goal of
    doubling production of key food staples including rice in Sub-Saharan
    Africa and by assisting with inputs such as fertilizer and seeds. We
    will also support the development of key trade and transport corridors
    necessary to sustain trade in food staples and inputs. The United
    States and Japan will also work together in various fora, including the
    World Trade Organization, to urge the removal of policies that hinder
    food security, such as restrictions on exports. We will also work with
    our G-8 partners in this effort.
  þ President Bush and Prime Minister Fukuda also noted the importance of
    small and medium size enterprises in Africa and confirmed their support
    for African entrepreneurs, particularly in the agribusiness sector, by
    stressing the need to provide increased access to capital, business
    development skills, as well as the need for accelerated policy and
    market-based reforms at both the country level and in sub-regional
    organizations.

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